Sightseeing in Serbia
Serbia – landlocked country in the Balkans! Serbia is a paradise for nature lovers, because all types of landscape can be found. In the north the Pannonian Plain, in the center hilly landscapes and in the south high mountains. The capital city of Belgrade is the country’s economic and cultural center. Vacationers will get their money’s worth here. Visit the medieval castle, dozen of churches, museums and buildings in the old town. The main attractions of the city of Belgrade are the Belgrade Fortress, the Belgrade Arena, the largest Christian Orthodox cathedral in the world – St. Sava Cathedral, the National Museum, Mount Avala or the Palace of the Republic, Terazije Square. But don’t miss the other beautiful cities of Serbia such as Nis with the fortress of Nis, the modern amphitheater and the old mosque, or the city of Karagujevac with the Monument to Broken Wings. Take a tour of Serbia!
Derdap National Park
The Derdap National Park in Serbia is still largely undeveloped by tourists and is therefore an insider tip among nature lovers. The largest river cliff landscape in Europe, located on the Danube and the border with Romania, offers breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. The course of the river is surrounded by huge mountain ranges and thus flows through deep gorges.
Nature and culture
The specialty of the park is its unique mix of nature and culture: On the one hand, there is a great variety of animal and plant species to be found here, including brown bears, lynxes and wolves. At the same time you can admire numerous historical buildings and archaeological sites along the river. These include the approximately 8,000-year-old Lepenski Vir bridge, the Tabula Traiana (a memorial plaque from Roman times) and the Golubac fortress, which used to be a monastery.
Bukd; Djerdap – Golubac fortress
Iron gate
Also located in the border area is the man-made reservoir ‘Iron Gate’, which is about half the size of Lake Constance. It was built as a joint project between Romania and the former Yugoslavia and is intended to form a cross-border biosphere reserve in the future. In the town of Kladovo, the lake is used to generate electricity.
Most of the people living here live from fishing and agriculture. A trip in autumn is particularly beautiful, when the leaves are colored and nature is reminiscent of the ‘Indian Summer’ in Canada
Davolja Varos
The devil town Đavolja Varoš in Serbia
Mystical place: The “Devil’s City” Đavolja Varoš
One of the most fascinating natural wonders of Serbia is the so-called “Devil’s City” Đavolja Varoš. In the Radan Mountains, southeast of Kuršumlija, around 200 earth pyramids rise up, each crowned by a stone in a curious way. Every Serb knows the area, having been here once is a must. When the wind whistles around the 2 to 15 meter high pillars, it creates howling and squeaking noises that the locals interpreted as screaming or wailing. Accordingly, the Serbian world of legends has spun numerous stories about the origins of the pillars. Among other things, it is said that the earth pyramids were a wedding party that was petrified as a punishment for their sins.
A geological natural wonder
The reality is hardly less spectacular: erosion from wind and precipitation have created the earth pyramids. Over the course of centuries, the soft earth was removed – except where the stones, weighing up to 100 kilograms, had compressed the earth and thus solidified it, and protected it from the elements like a roof.
In addition to the earth formations, the area has another natural phenomenon in store: two extraordinarily iron-rich springs emerge from the earth, whose water, which is colored red by iron, is known as “devil’s water”. There is a belief among the locals that the consumption of the water – which is officially discouraged – has healing properties.
Visiting opportunities and arrival
The information center at the entrance to the area also provides visitors with information about all of this. The natural wonder itself can be explored year-round and best along the well-developed hiking trails, which take about three hours to walk. Guided tours are also offered regularly.
Đavolja Varoš has been under protection since 1959 and was elevated to the status of a natural monument by the Serbian state in 1995. There is a hotel a few kilometers away, and Đavolja Varoš can be easily reached via the streets of Belgrade and Niš. Anyone who is on a trip or study trip in Serbia should plan a visit to this legendary natural wonder.
Tara National Park
The Tara National Park is one of the outstanding sights of the Western Balkans, but is still an insider tip in this country. The Tara Mountains are located in the far west of Serbia, northwest of the Zlatibor Mountains and extend to the Drina River, which in this area forms the natural border between Serbia and Bosnia.
Impressive numbers
In 1981, 19,200 hectares of the 22,000 hectare Tara Mountains were declared a national park. 75 percent of the park is forested, the total tree population amounts to more than three million. At an average altitude of 1,000 to 1,200 meters above sea level, there is an astonishing variety of flora and fauna. Of the over 1,150 plant species counted, 76 are endemic. The slender, up to 40 meters high and up to 200 years old “Omorika spruce” only grows here and is therefore also known as “Serbian spruce”. 19 species of fish, 115 species of butterflies and more than 140 species of birds have their home in the national park.
Turbulent history
At 1,591 meters, the Kozji Rid is the highest peak in the park, which also has culturally significant sights: the history of the Raca Monastery, built on the Raca River and at the foot of the mountains, dates back to the 13th century. It was donated by the Serbian King Stefan Dragutin and destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. During the Turkish siege, the monastery kept important Orthodox scriptures and made copies of them in a writing school two kilometers away. Tourism has a long tradition in the Tara Mountains. The climate is considered to promote healing in some blood and lung diseases.